Main points
- US president Donald Trump says Venezuela’s president Nicolas Maduro and his wife have been captured following a “large scale” strike
- Venezuela’s government declares state of emergency and says US attacked civilian and military installations in multiple states
- Who is Nicolas Maduro, Venezuela’s president?
- Why has US attacked Caracas and captured Venezuela’s president?
Sarah Burns – 34 minutes ago
Ireland has consistently called for a peaceful and negotiated transition in Venezuela, says Minister for Foreign Affairs
Minister for Foreign Affairs Helen McEntee has said she has been in contact with EU High Representative for Foreign Policy, Kaja Kallas regarding the situation in Venezuela.
“I will remain in close contact with EU colleagues as the situation evolves,” she said.
“Ireland, together with our EU partners, underlines the absolute necessity of full respect for international law and the principles of the UN Charter.
“While we have been clear that President Maduro does not have any democratic legitimacy, we have consistently called for a peaceful and negotiated transition in Venezuela, and have supported all international efforts to that end.”
Ms McEntee said her department is monitoring the consular situation, in coordination with EU partners on the ground.
Minister for Foreign Affairs Helen McEntee said her department is monitoring consular situation. Photograph: Olivier Hoslet/EPA
Sarah Burns – 57 minutes ago
Irish Government must condemn US actions, says Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin’s national chairperson, Declan Kearney MLA, has condemned the overnight US violation against Venezuela.
Mr Kearney said the US assault against Venezuelan national sovereignty has serious and far-reaching repercussions for the primacy of the global rules based order and authority of the United Nations Charter.
“This US aggression is deeply destabilising for Venezuela and the wider Latin American and Caribbean region,” he said.
“It comes at a time when the illegal embargo against Cuba has intensified, and the American President is also threatening more unilateral military attacks in the Middle East and repeating threats against the sovereignty of Greenland.
“The illegal US removal of the Venezuelan President from office sits in marked contrast with its defiance of the International Criminal Court arrest warrants in the names of Israeli political leaders for genocidal crimes against the Palestinian people.”
Mr Kearney said the Irish government and global democracy must condemn the actions, and act to support “an urgent deescalation of political tensions in Venezuela, and the establishment of regional political stability and security”.
Sinn Féin national chairperson Declan Kearney says Irish Government must condemn US actions. Photograph: Brenda Fitzsimons / The Irish Times
US Attorney General Pam Bondi has said that Mr Maduro and his wife have been indicted in the Southern District of New York.
She said the Venezuelan president has been charged with “Narco-Terrorism Conspiracy, Cocaine Importation Conspiracy, Possession of Machineguns and Destructive Devices, and Conspiracy to Possess Machineguns and Destructive Devices against the United States”.
“They will soon face the full wrath of American justice on American soil in American courts,” said Ms Bondi, but did not not say what his wife has been charged with.
“A huge thank you to our brave military who conducted the incredible and highly successful mission to capture these two alleged international narco traffickers.”
US Attorney General Pam Bondi. Photograph: Tierney L. Cross/The New York Times
British prime minister says UK was not involved in strikes and wants to speak with US president to find out ‘full facts’
British prime minister Keir Starmer has said his country was not involved in the United States’ strikes on Venezuela and that he wanted to speak with US president Donald Trump and find out the full facts of what had happened.
“I want to establish the facts first. I want to speak to President Trump. I want to speak to allies. I can be absolutely clear that we were not involved…and I always say and believe we should all uphold international law,” he said in a statement to British broadcasters.
British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said he wanted to speak with US president Donald Trump to establish full facts. Photograph: Isabel Infantes/PA Wire World leaders react to US attacks
Russia’s foriegn ministry has said the United States committed an act of armed aggression against Venezuela, which was “deeply concerning and condemnable”.
“The pretexts used to justify such actions are unfounded. Ideological animosity has prevailed over business pragmatism and the willingness to build relationships based on trust and predictability,” it said.
“In the current situation, it is important, first and foremost, to prevent further escalation and to focus on finding a way out of the situation through dialogue.”
It added that Latin America must remain a zone of peace, as it declared itself to be in 2014.
“And Venezuela must be guaranteed the right to determine its own destiny without any destructive, let alone military, interference from outside.”
“We support the statement by the Venezuelan authorities and the leaders of Latin American countries calling for an immediate meeting of the UN Security Council.”
Chile’s President Gabriel Boric has said it also expresses its concern and condemnation of the military actions of the United States in Venezuela and called.
“Chile reaffirms its commitment to the basic principles of international law, such as the prohibition of the use of force, non-intervention, the peaceful settlement of international disputes, and the territorial integrity of States,” he said.
Colombia’s president Gustavo Petro said its government viewed with “deep concern” the reports of explosions and unusual air activity in recent hours in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, as well as the resulting escalation of tension in the region.
“Colombia reaffirms its unconditional commitment to the principles enshrined in the UN Charter, in particular respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of States, the prohibition of the use or threat of use of force, and the peaceful settlement of international disputes,” he said.
“In this regard, the Colombian Government rejects any unilateral military action that could aggravate the situation or put the civilian population at risk.”
Smoke is seen over buildings after explosions and low-flying aircraft were heard on Saturday in Caracas, Venezuela. Photograph: Jesus Vargas/Getty Images
Sarah Burns – 2 hours ago
EU is monitoring situation and calls for restraint
Kaja Kallas, EU high representative for foreign affairs and security policy and vice-president of the European Commission, said she has spoken with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the ambassador in Caracas.
“The EU is closely monitoring the situation in Venezuela,” she said.
“The EU has repeatedly stated that Mr Maduro lacks legitimacy and has defended a peaceful transition. Under all circumstances, the principles of international law and the UN Charter must be respected. We call for restraint.
“The safety of EU citizens in the country is our top priority.”
High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas said the EU calls for restraint. Photograph: Olivier Hoslet/EPA
Sarah Burns – 2 hours ago
British MP and leader of Reform UK Nigel Farage has said the American actions in Venezuela overnight were unorthodox and contrary to international law, but “if they make China and Russia think twice, it may be a good thing”.
“I hope the Venezuelan people can now turn a new leaf without Maduro,” he said.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage. Photograph: Tolga Akmen/EPA
Sarah Burns – 2 hours ago
US attacks on Venezuela mark major international crisis, says Labour Party
Labour’s foreign affairs spokesperson Duncan Smith has condemned the United States’ attacks on Venezuela and the kidnapping of President Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores.
Mr Smith has called for immediate action in New York and Dublin to halt the violence, uphold international law and secure their safe return.
“What we are witnessing in Caracas is a situation that demands urgent global action,” he said.
“We are seeing actions by one of the world’s most powerful states that beggar belief.
“The flagrancy with which the United States has acted in Venezuela has shocked the world and undermines the very foundations of international cooperation and respect for sovereign nations.
“President Donald Trump needs to end the attacks on Venezuela and return President Maduro and Cilia Flores to their country immediately.
“The United States, under President Trump, seems intent on perpetual conflict despite his repeated talks of peace. Words matter, but they must be backed up by actions that uphold peace and international norms.”
The Dublin Fingal-East TD said Ireland should call for emergency meetings of both the United Nations Security Council and the United Nations General Assembly so that a ceasefire and a plan for cooperation can be put in place without delay.
“As a nation committed to peace, Ireland must not stand on the sidelines,” he added.
Labour’s Foreign Affairs spokesperson Duncan Smith has condemned the attack. Photograph: Stephen Collins/Collins Photos
Sarah Burns – 2 hours ago
Who is Nicolás Maduro?
Nicolás Maduro was born into a working-class family on November 23, 1962, son of a trade union leader.
He worked as a bus driver during the time army officer Hugo Chavez led a failed coup attempt in 1992.
He campaigned for Mr Chavez’s release from prison and became a fervent supporter of his leftist agenda. He won a seat in the legislature following Mr Chavez’s 1998 election.
He rose to become president of the National Assembly and then foreign minister, travelling the globe to build international alliances through oil-financed assistance programmes.
Mr Chavez named him as his hand-picked successor and Mr Maduro was narrowly elected president in 2013 following his death.
His administration oversaw a spectacular economic collapse characterised by hyperinflation and chronic shortages. His rule became best known for allegedly rigged elections, food shortages and rights abuses, including harsh crackdowns on protests in 2014 and 2017. Millions of Venezuelans emigrated abroad.
His government was subject to aggressive sanctions by the US and other powers. In 2020 Washington indicted him on corruption and other charges. Mr Maduro rejected the accusations.
He was sworn in for a third term in January 2025 following a 2024 election that was widely condemned by international observers and the opposition as fraudulent. Thousands of people who protested the government’s declaration of victory were jailed.
A UN fact-finding mission found last month that the country’s Bolivarian National Guard (GNB) committed serious human rights violations and crimes against humanity over more than a decade in targeting political opponents, often with impunity.
His government’s repressive measures were highlighted by the award of the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize to opposition leader Maria Corina Machado.
Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro at a speech in Caracas last November. Photograph: Adriana Loureiro Fernandez/The New York Times
Venezuela’s president Nicolás Maduro gestures during a rally to mark the anniversary of the Battle of Santa Ines, in Caracas on December 10, 2025. Photograph: Federico Parra/AFP via Getty Images
Sarah Burns – 2 hours ago
Pedestrians walk past the Miraflores presidential palace after explosions and low-flying aircraft were heard in Caracas. Photograph: Cristian Hernandez/AP 
Members of the presidential guard stand outside the Miraflores presidential palace after the explosions were heard in Caracas. Photograph: Cristian Hernandez/AP 
Pedestrians run after explosions and low-flying aircraft were heard in Caracas on Saturday. Photograph: Matias Delacroix/AP 
Fire at Fuerte Tiuna, Venezuela’s largest military complex, after a series of explosions in Caracas on Saturday. Photograph: Luis Jaimes/AFP via Getty Images
Sarah Burns – 3 hours ago
Irish Government must immediately and unequivocally condemn attack, says People Before Profit
People Before Profit has denounced the attack and called for the Irish Government to condemn the US and demand the release of Mr Maduro.
The party’s Dublin South-West TD Paul Murphy said it was a “blatant imperialist attack” by the US on Venezuela – “the latest in a long history of US violence in Latin America”.
“The claimed kidnapping of President Maduro and his wife is a brazen violation of Venezuelan sovereignty and a war crime. The US is clearly a terrorist state,” he said.
“This is a violent grab for oil, natural resources and power. Venezuela has the world’s largest proven oil reserves and that is the central reason for this latest US attack. The US must stop its assault and must release President Maduro.
“The Irish Government must immediately and unequivocally condemn this blatant US violation of Venezuelan sovereignty and demand the release of President Maduro.
“People Before Profit supports the resistance of the people of Venezuela and calls for mobilisations in Ireland and across the world to oppose this US imperialist intervention.
“We say, hands off Venezuela.”
People Before Profit TD Paul Murphy has condemned the attack. Photograph: Sam Boal/Collins Photos
Sarah Burns – 3 hours ago
US president Donald Trump has repeatedly promised land operations in Venezuela, amid efforts to pressure president Nicolás Maduro to leave office, including expanded sanctions, a ramped-up US military presence in the region and more than two dozen strikes on vessels allegedly involved in trafficking drugs in the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea.
Mr Maduro had said in a pre-taped interview aired on Thursday that the US wants to force a government change in Venezuela and gain access to its vast oil reserves through the months-long pressure campaign that began with a massive military deployment to the Caribbean Sea in August.
Mr Maduro has been charged with narco-terrorism in the US. The CIA was behind a drone strike last week at a docking area believed to have been used by Venezuelan drug cartels in what was the first known direct operation on Venezuelan soil since the US began strikes on boats in September.
Mr Trump had threatened for months that he could soon order strikes on targets on Venezuelan land.
US president Donald Trump made the announcement on his Truth Social platform. Photograph: Alex Brandon/AP
Sarah Burns – 3 hours ago
Good morning. US president Donald Trump has said Venezuela’s president Nicolas Maduro and his wife have been captured after the US conducted a “large-scale strike” on the country.
“This operation was done in conjunction with US law enforcement. Details to follow,” the US president wrote on social media this morning after eyewitnesses in Venezuela reported a series of explosions.
Venezuela’s government said the United States attacked its civilian and military installations in multiple states after at least seven explosions and low-flying aircraft were heard early on Saturday in the capital Caracas.
Mr Maduro earlier declared a state of emergency and called on “political and social forces” to reject the attacks, according to the statement.
Mr Trump ordered the strikes on sites in Venezuela, a CBS reporter cited US officials as saying.
Follow irishtimes.com for updates throughout the day.
Fire is seen at Fuerte Tiuna, Venezuela’s largest military complex, after a series of explosions in Caracas on Saturday. Photograph: AFP via Getty Images